This invention relates to the disproportionation of hydrocarbons. More particularly, this invention relates to the disproportionation of paraffins in the presence of an isomerization catalyst.
The disproportionation of hydrocarbons is well known in the art. This process has gained importance due to governmental regulations requiring reduction of the amount of volatile C4 and C5 alkanes present in gasoline. Also, there is an incentive to convert isopentanes, for example, to higher isoparaffins, such as, isohexane which is a lower vapor pressure motor fuel component, and to isobutane which is a feedstock for alkylation with olefins to high octane alkylate and also for the production of MTBE.
Therefore, development of an improved process for disproportionating hydrocarbons would be a significant contribution to the art.